Bluewater Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

From the kitchen of Carly

Dark rum-spiked custard soaks soft bread cubes into creamy submission, then the whole thing gets baked until golden. Finish with a thick caramel sauce that's equal parts brown sugar, cream, and pure indulgence.

Bluewater Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Bread pudding that swings for the fences: custardy, enriched with eggs and cream, studded with tart currants, and served poolside with a dark rum caramel sauce thick enough to coat the spoon. The trick is letting the buttered bread soak into submission before it hits the oven, so you get tender crumb instead of a bread delivery system. Decadent without apology.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 1 lbdark brown sugar
  • 2 cupwhipping cream
  • 1 cuplight corn syrup
  • 1/2 cupdark rum
  • 2 1/2 cupwhole milk
  • 1 cupwhipping cream
  • 1 cupsugar
  • 4 largeeggs
  • 4 largeegg yolks
  • 1 tbspvanilla extract
  • 1/4 tspground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tspsalt
  • 12 slicegood-quality white bread, crusts trimmed
  • 3 tbspunsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cupdried currants

Instructions

  1. In a heavy large saucepan, whisk all of the caramel ingredients together to blend. Whisk over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to boil. Drop the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon, whisking occasionally, around 25 minutes. (Holds 3 days ahead: cool, cover, and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat before serving.)

  2. Bring the oven to 350°F. Butter an 11x7 inch glass baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the milk, cream, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt; whisk to blend well. Spread butter on one side of each bread slice. Arrange 6 slices buttered side up in a single layer in the prepared dish, trimming the slices to fit. Shower with the currants. Top with the remaining bread slices buttered side up. Pour the custard through a sieve over the bread in the dish. Let stand 15 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread down into the custard.

  3. Place the pudding dish inside a 13x9x2 inch metal baking pan. Pour enough hot water into the outer pan to reach halfway up the sides of the pudding dish. Slide into the oven. Bake the pudding until set in the center and golden on top, around 45 minutes. Lift the pudding from the water bath. Serve warm or at room temperature with the warm caramel sauce.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Butter only the top side of each bread slice before layering; this keeps the bottom from getting soggy during the soak and ensures crispy edges where they matter.
  • Let the assembled pudding sit for the full 15 minutes, pressing gently on the bread every few minutes to coax the custard in. Dry bread is the enemy here.
  • The caramel sauce thickens as it cools. If it seizes or becomes too stiff, loosen it with a splash of cream over low heat; it's forgiving.
  • A water bath is non-negotiable: it buffers the heat and keeps the custard creamy instead of curdled.

Variations

  • Swap the dried currants for toasted pecans or walnuts for a textural contrast and nuttier lean.
  • Use brioche or challah instead of white bread to push the richness even further, though you'll need slightly less soak time.
  • Cut back the rum to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup brandy or bourbon to the caramel for a different kind of adult edge.
  • Omit the currants and stir 1 teaspoon of cinnamon into the custard for a spiced-cake direction.

Make ahead and storage

Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a 300°F oven or in a low microwave to avoid rubbery custard. The caramel holds fine for 5 days in a sealed container and takes well to the freezer for up to 2 months.